Sunday, February 28, 2010

Showcase #34

Sweet baby Jesus in a manger Praise Ha'Shem! It's been nearly a month since my last substantial post here! So much for regularity! Well darn it, I'm going to do my best to start up a Silver Age Sunday, and finishing up Atom's first appearance seems a good place to get to it!

After introducing Ray Palmer, girlfriend Jean Loring, and his shrinking lens in the first story of the book, "Birth of the Atom!", the costumed Mighty Mite was due to debut in the second feature, "Battle of the Tiny Titans!" Once again by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane & Murphy Anderson, this tale started out with hot blond Ivytown Bank teller Alma Wilson getting robbed by a six inch tall bald man wearing nothing but Adam Warlock's metal bikini briefs. Just as suddenly as he appeared, he disappeared-- with a bundle of dough. Of course, nobody believed Alma's story about the little genie man, so she got tossed in jail. Well, almost nobody.

Now, you and I probably tend to look at all these Silver Age characters as being middle-aged, seeing as they were all married professionals whose adventures began in the '50s & '60s. What you find while reading these old Atom stories is an emphasis on how green the characters are, at least for their jobs. Ray Palmer is never just a scientist, but a "young physicist," and though Jean may be a lawyer, she's so fresh that her very first case will be defending her friend in the pokey.

"Alma always tells the truth! If she says there was a-- genie-- then there was!" Oh Jean, you know who unquestioningly believes stories about genie bank robbers? Crazy people, that's who! Even Ray tries to talk Jean into letting a more seasoned lawyer handle such an uphill case, but "I intend to make my mark in the legal profession, Ray-- and I'm going to start with Alma Wilson!" You know, her close friend, who no other lawyer could adequately defend, even though she's never tried a case before, much less one pursuing a "not guilty" plea involving tiny genie thieves. Crazy people, welcome Jean Loring to your ranks, if you haven't already.

Jean might not recognize her own limitations, but Ray does (at least, partially.) So, Ray's a struggling young scientist who can't quite get a handle on monetizing this shrinking thing he's been developing. Say he uses white dwarf meteorite material to fashion an elastic, invisible, intangible suit (which he can still hold, inexplicably) that becomes visible and solidifies as it shrinks. Think you could do something with that besides employee it as your newfangled super-hero union suit? Well, Ray can't, but then he's really committed to marrying Jean Loring, so he's obviously on his own wavelength.

Now garbed as the Atom, Ray tests another aspect of the belt he's designed to control his size and costume's appearance: he can now alter his weight, allowing him to leap like a grasshopper, but land with the impact of a full grown man at will. While testing this out, the Atom spies that same genie that ruined Alma's career loitering in his laboratory. The other tiny titan was after chemicals in the lab, but a few blows later, and his little tin britches are settled. Through telepathy, he explains that he's Kulan Dar of the planet Julnar, "many thousands of light-years away." Through the ingestion of the metallic element Europium, Dar's people can teleport across worlds at will, making them natural explorers. Unfortunately, Kulan Dar got caught in a cosmic ionization field during a trip, and landed on Earth. Dar was found by an unscrupulous ex-con who was informed through Dar's unconscious mind of his history and abilities. The crook found a device called a Dominator that allowed Dar to control creatures on Julnar's colony worlds, but used it on Kulan himself. The little alien was then forced to begin a crime spree.

Before the Atom can help, Kulan Dar is forced to return to his "master." Ray then calls Jean up with what he's learned, omitting any reference to his own shrinking side job. Loring also swallowed this mess without a critical thought in her head, but knew her boyfriend couldn't exactly take the stand and try to sell it to sane people. While Ray Palmer poured through the local police "mug book" looking for Kulan's captor, Dar continued robbin' & stealin'. Ray had seen a mental image of the crook through telepathy, and recognized him from his picture as Carl Ballard, who had a cabin overlooking the lakefront. Ray shrank a special bottle in his lab that he'd have to use before it exploded, then suited up and headed out.

Using his noggin, the Atom called Ballard, who was greeted on the other end by the sound of a metronome. Sound waves propelled an especially Mighty Mite electronically through the phone line. The Atom confronted Ballard who tried to use the dominator against our hero, unaware it had no effect of earthlings. Ballard then summoned Kulan Dar to battle the Atom to the death. After a brief struggle, the Atom's furious fists overwhelmed the alien. Ray then grew the ionized bottle he'd brought with him back to its normal size, then sealed Dar inside, where he couldn't teleport. The Atom tossed the bottle in the lake, to further stymie Dar should he get loose, but Ballard sent the dominator flying inti the drink as well. The crook figured Kulan Dar would get loose and finish the Atom before the dominator could be recovered, not realizing A) he'd have a heck of a time finding it himself later & B) Kulan Dar is kind of a wussy.

The Atom punched Ballard's lights out, then dove under water in search of the dominator. Kulan Dar got free, and pursued, but was freed from Ballard's influence through the recovered dominator.

An hour later, Jean Loring was fighting a losing battle in court. Somehow, the novice lawyer with a girlfriend for a client sidestepping diminished capacity in favor of the "Genie Defense" wasn't winning the hearts and minds of jurors? Color me surprised. Good thing Kulan Dar materialized in the prosecuting attorney's palm in open court, in order to serve as a surprise witness for Alma and against Ballard. In her twisted little mind, Jean declared "I've done it! I've won my first case!" Yeah, because Ray hadn't set everything up, while being discreet enough to hide his alter ego from everyone save the soon-departing Kulan Dar. Genius that she is, Jean failed to connect Ray and the Atom, but wanted to thank the Tiny Titan for helping her win her case. Helping. Not handing her the case on a silver platter, but "helping" her "make my mark!" Hate her yet, folks? "A few more courtroom victories and-- I might even consider marrying you!" All the encouragement Ray needed to continue as the Atom! Not wealth, not fame, not the common good, but Jean Loring's delusional hand in marriage. But hey, at least Ray was smart enough to keep his Atom identity secret, "until we're safely married!"

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

"The Atom Forgot to Lock the Lab" commission by Robb Phipps

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Look, I'm not one to begrudge a predilection, but this ones a bit far off the beating path, if you know what I mean. Nevermind the shrinking-- what was Ray doing leaving steroids and silicon around? Prepping for that Ed McGuiness action figure? Most importantly... that uniform? Ray, it wouldn't have flattered you.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

2006 "Magical Lobotomy" color art by Craig Hamilton

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Starring Doctor Light and featuring Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Zatanna, an unusually tall Ray Palmer Atom, Hawkman, and the sex parts of Black Canary, Green Arrow, and the Flash. Done with colored pencils by a fellow most famous for his work on the '80s Aquaman mini-series. Of it, Craig Hamilton said...

What a thrill it was to do this piece ~ this scene certainly is the highlight of Identity Crisis! A whopping 15 inches square, this one was a labor of Love! My great Pal and comrade in shenanigans, Michael Bair hooked me up with the IDCrisis series and got me hooked on the talent of Brad Meltzer. IDCrisis is JLA meets CSI with a healthy dose of (REALLY) Desperate Housewives!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

JLA Classified: Classic Series 3 The Atom Action Figure

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JLA CLASSIFIED: CLASSIC SERIES 3 ACTION FIGURES
The JLA CLASSIFIED: CLASSIC line expands with four all-new figures! Consistent in style and scale to Series 1 and 2, Series 3 features some of the most requested characters from DC Comics.
All figures feature multiple points of articulation and include display bases.
4-color clamshell blister card packaging.
Includes:
Zoom
6.75 h”
Superman (Red)
6.75 h”
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
6.75 h”
The Atom
6.75 h”
Advance-solicited; on sale October 20, 2010 * Action Figures * PI
What, you thought I forgot these yesterday? Hah! I just saw an extra post to be squeezed out of those solicitations! Squeezed with all the might of that steroidal freak above! Yeesh, what's he compensating for?

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Atomic acCount for May, 2010

For years, I've covered advance solicitation information related to the Martian Manhunter at my Idol-Head of Diabolu blog. Since I'm trying to keep posts coming at The Atom: Mighty Mite blog and trying to improve the overall quality at the long neglected Justice League Detroit: The Blog, I figure I might as well extend by coverage out a bit, eh?

BRIGHTEST DAY #1-2
Issue #1 on sale MAY 5 •Issue #2 on sale MAY 19
40 pg (#1), 32 pg (#2), FC, $2.99 US
Written by GEOFF JOHNS & PETER J. TOMASI
Art by IVAN REIS, PATRICK GLEASON, ARDIAN SYAF, SCOTT CLARK & JOE PRADO
Covers by DAVID FINCH
Issue #1 1:50 variant cover by IVAN REIS & OCLAIR ALBERT •Issue #2 1:25 variant cover by IVAN REIS & OCLAIR ALBERT
BRIGHTEST DAY continues, but in ways you can’t possibly expect! What does BRIGHTEST DAY mean to the DC Universe? Is everything from here on out going to be bright and shiny? No, BRIGHTEST DAY means something else entirely, something we can’t tell you...yet. But we can tell you our heroes will need to rise up more than ever to combat the forces of evil, and a select few will uncover a secret that binds them ALL. It all begins in the specially priced issue #1!
Retailers please note: These issues will ship with two covers each. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
I don't know if the Atom will be in this, but he was all over Blackest Night by the same creative team, so...

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #45
On sale MAY 19
40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art and cover by MARK BAGLEY & ROB HUNTER
A BRIGHTEST DAY tie-in! Supergirl rejoins the JLA as incredible, ancient forces of chaos are unleashed. What could posses her and Power Girl to battle to the death? And what horrors await the rest of the Justice League and Justice Society in this prologue to “The Ghosts of Earth and Space”?!

Following Cry For Justice, Ray Palmer remains with the Teen Titans... er Justice League. Nice to be back, still.

TITANS: VILLAINS FOR HIRE SPECIAL #1
On sale MAY 12
56 pg, FC, $4.99 US
Written by ERIC WALLACE
Art and cover by FABRIZIO FIORENTINO
1:25 Variant cover by FABRIZIO FIORENTINO
It’s a new team and direction for the Titans! Deathstroke and his mercenary team including Cheshire, Tattooed Man and other surprise members burst out of BRIGHTEST DAY #0! Get in on the ground floor here as the team is hired to assassinate The Atom! And for this team, failure is not an option!

Crap, Ray really is still with the Titans! I never expected another run-in with Deathstroke, either. I guess the Tattooed Man going straight didn't take. So, like, if Ray doesn't get deaded, can I count all these guys as part of his woughfully slight rogues gallery?

DC UNIVERSE LEGACIES #1
On sale MAY 19
1 of 10
40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
Written by LEN WEIN
Art by ANDY KUBERT, JOE KUBERT & J.G. JONES
Cover by ANDY KUBERT & JOE KUBERT
1:25 variant cover by J.G. JONES
It starts here! DC Comics proudly presents a ten-part history of the DC Universe spanning five generations of heroes from the dawn of the Mystery Men to present day. In this first exciting issue, the Second World War rages on, giving birth to a new breed of hero. Caped and masked urban myths become legends as they emerge from the shadows to earn their place in history. Meanwhile, explore the bizarre new heroes Dr. Fate and The Spectre and learn whether their powers are real…or imagined.
Join renowned writer Len Wein (SWAMP THING, Incredible Hulk), legendary artist Joe Kubert (SGT. ROCK), his son, the fan-favorite Andy Kubert (BATMAN, X-Men) and J.G. Jones (FINAL CRISIS, 52) as they unearth the DCU’s epic history in this event you won’t want to miss!

Al Pratt is bound to show up sooner or later, right?


BLACKEST NIGHT HC
On sale JULY 7
304 pg, FC, $29.99 US
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by IVAN REIS & OCLAIR ALBERT
Cover by IVAN REIS & RUDOLFO MIGLIARI
As the war between the different Corps rages on, the prophecy of the Blackest Night descends in this hardcover collecting the best–selling BLACKEST NIGHT #0-8. Now, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps lead DC’s champions into battle to save the universe from an
army of Black Lanterns made up of the DCU’s deceased heroes and villains!
Ray had so many choice moments in here, plus I think Black Lantern Al Pratt shows up somewhere.

BLACKEST NIGHT: GREEN LANTERN HC
On sale JULY 7
272 pg, FC, $24.99 US
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by DOUG MAHNKE, ED BENES & OTHERS
Cover by IVAN REIS & RUDOLFO MIGLIARI
The Black Lanterns descend on a spectrum of Corps across the universe in this hardcover collecting GREEN LANTERN #43-52. Plus: Black Hand’s connection to the Black Lantern Corps is explained, and key plot points essential to enjoying the storyline to its fullest are revealed.

Atom, Mera, amd Eclipso-Jeab's short story reprinted?

BLACKEST NIGHT: RISE OF THE BLACK LANTERNS HC
On sale JULY 21
256 pg, FC, $24.99 US
Written by GEOFF JOHNS, GREG RUCKA & OTHERS
Art by RYAN SOOK, DENYS COWAN & OTHERS
Cover by RODOLFO MIGLIARI
Seven classic DCU titles — THE ATOM AND HAWKMAN, THE QUESTION, PHANTOM STRANGER, STARMAN, THE POWER OF SHAZAM!, CATWOMAN and WEIRD WESTERN TALES — are resurrected alongside GREEN ARROW #30 and ADVENTURE COMICS #7 in this BLACKEST NIGHT tie-in hardcover!
Zombie Justice League Detroit Roll Call: Aquaman, Elongated Man, Martian Manhunter! Now we just have wait for the JLofA trade featuring Black Lanterns Paco Ramone and Hank Henshaw Jr., plus the still living Gypsy, Zatanna and Vixen.

BLACKEST NIGHT: RISE OF THE BLACK LANTERNS HC
On sale JULY 21
256 pg, FC, $24.99 US
Written by GEOFF JOHNS, GREG RUCKA & OTHERS
Art by RYAN SOOK, DENYS COWAN & OTHERS
Cover by RODOLFO MIGLIARI
Seven classic DCU titles — THE ATOM AND HAWKMAN, THE QUESTION, PHANTOM STRANGER, STARMAN, THE POWER OF SHAZAM!, CATWOMAN and WEIRD WESTERN TALES — are resurrected alongside GREEN ARROW #30 and ADVENTURE COMICS #7 in this BLACKEST NIGHT tie-in hardcover!
The Zombie Atom & Hawkman reprinted!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Atom Convention Sketch by Gil Kane

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I've been doing a ton of work on this blog or that blog or the other one, but I wasn't worried about the Atom. See, I just did his origin story, and almost immediately after turned around with that Heroclix post. Hey I'm golden! That should be good until... wait, that was LAST Tuesday? And the only other thing I posted was that Peanuts image I recycled & "simulcast" over three blogs? Way to suck, Frank!

As much as I'd like to post the second story synopsis from Ray Palmer's debut comic, I haven't written it yet, and I've gotta study tonight (not to mention tend to my soon-to-arrive ailing girlfriend.) Ah, good thing random pieces of art make such awesome filler posts! A little editing-- resizing, contrast adjust, some links-- and I'm back to golden! Okay, bronze? Brass? Copper?

So, who better to re-commission art blogging for the Tiny Titan than his co-creator and all around comic book legend Gil Kane? Michelangelo? Di Vinci? Ah, don't be pedantic! Besides, he draws hands way better than Picasso, but not to hear him tell it! Here's what this piece's owner had to say...
There is a long story behind this one. First, it only took hours of cajoling to get Gil to even agree to do a sketch. Second, he worked on it for about an hour struggling to get the Atom's right hand exactly the way he wanted it. After about 20 minutes of drawing, erasing and redrawing, he scrapped the entire sketch (Which was gorgeous). He then started all over again and I ended up with the version you see here. Someone asked Gil if they could purchase (or have) the other sketch, and he was so unhappy with it, he just wadded it up and threw it away. Trust me it was beautiful and, I think, even nicer than the one I ended up with, but it was his perogative as the artist not to be happy with it.

I think it's fantastic, even as it illustrates what happens when a six inch man eats a full sized bean.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

"Justice League of Peanuts" by Dana P



Borrowed from both Crimson Lightning, where I was just reminded of it, and The Aquaman Website, where I first saw it well before I'd begun comic blogging, here's Dana P's take on the Justice League of America as portrayed by Charles Schulz's Peanuts gang. There's  Woodstock as the Atom, Pigpen as Hawkman, Schroeder as Aquaman, Snoopy as the Flash, Lucy van Pelt as Wonder Woman, Charlie Brown as Superman, Linus as Batman, Franklin as Green Lantern John Stewart, Spike as Green Arrow, and Sally Brown as Black Canary. The Martian Manhunter is also in there, and appropriate for my favorite under-appreciated Leaguer, he's cast as a Peanut too obscure for me to identify. Shermy? For more, try here.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Indigo Tribe Atom (Ray Palmer) HeroClix

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I don't play HeroClix, so this is all "teeny rubber figurines" and "gobbledygook" to me. I guess this calls for a block quote. You can grok the rest at Newsarama.

WizKids announces the DC Comics Blackest Night Starter
Available 05/12/10

The War of the Light comes to HeroClix with the DC HeroClix Blackest Night Starter Game! As the Blackest Night encompasses the world, heroes and villains alike are deputized into the Lantern Corps to fight back against the legions of Black Lanterns. Choose a team of lanterns and take them into battle! This starter game includes everything a player needs to play HeroClix, including figures, map, rules and more. The DC HeroClix Blackest Night Starter Game will be in stores May 12, 2010. For more information please visit www.HeroClix.com.

Contents:
◊ Seven 3D HeroClix miniatures, each with a character card (Green Lantern – Hal Jordan, Lex Luthor, Mera, Scarecrow, Wonder Woman, The Flash and The Atom in their deputy lantern costumes)

◊ All-new Green Lantern Sciencells Map
◊ 2010 HeroClix Complete Rulebook
◊ Six Object Tokens
◊ Twelve Terrain Markers
◊ Two 6-sided dice

Nok klok klek. The smallest member of the Deputy Lanterns carries what may be the largest emotional power, Compassion's indigo light. Ray Palmer, The Atom is now a member of the corps that channels the energy of every other corps, and has, according to their leader, the hardest emotion and energy of its' own to harness. Indigo Tribe Atom's official WizKids description follows:

A stalwart member of the Justice League, Ray Palmer’s life was torn apart when he discovered that his love Jean Loring was a murderer. Even after taking a pilgrimage into the multiverse in search of a new purpose, the Atom found he still felt empathy for Loring and all those who had brought evil upon the innocent. In the rise of the Blackest Night, the Atom’s rare compassion allowed him to join the Indigo Tribe and wield the power of their light.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Birth of the Atom!



From the strange combination of white dwarf star and sunlight-- product of the awesome forces of nature at her mightiest-- steps a Tiny Titan into a world of giants--
THE
ATOM!

Dedicated to overcoming evil-- enlisting his services on the side of law and order against crime and injustice-- he is to startle the world by the amazing inventiveness of his brilliant mind and the sheer physical power of his atomic body!

BIRTH OF THE ATOM!

Story by Gardner Fox
Art by Gil Kane & Murphy Anderson.

...and with that, the basics are established. Ray Palmer is really, really smart; he gets really, really small, and along with (or in spite of) the first two, he can really, really bust heads. People tend to forget that last part, but history will out.

At Ivy University's nuclear physics laboratory, Ray had been firing all kinds of light beams through this lens he'd created that he'd found could shrink stuff. Unfortunately, like Wayne Szalinski with six pack abs, that stuff tends to explode inside of a few minutes. If Ray could just get it together, the agricultural benefits alone would solve a good many of mankind's problems, which I think was mighty thoughtful of him.

Frustrated with his current progress, Ray sat himself down and thought up a nice, relaxing flashback sequence. Three months earlier, Ray's work was even deeper into Nowheresville, until he saw a meteor fly through the sky. Now, here's Exhibit A of Ray's badassery. Rick Moranis could shrink stuff, so that doesn't count. It's when Ray Palmer, graduate student and fellowship research physicist, straight up chases the falling meteor on foot through the woods. He's running around in penny loafers and a sharp suit, busting out acrobatic maneuvers in pursuit of the thing. Ray found this dense cannonball-sized fragment of white dwarf star matter, and huffs it back to his car, without a scraped knee or even mud on his shoes. No regular nerdlinger was he!



From there, Ray consistently failed to prevent the instability of the compressed atoms from going kablooey, which brings us back to the present (as of September-October 1961.) Ray's lady lawyer honey Jean Loring waltzes in, and she's not four panels into her introduction before the ol' ball-breaker shows her fangs. After refusing Ray's fifty-seventh proposal of marriage (diamond ring in hand,) Jean's all "Still no luck with your experiments, I see!" Why is she such a mega bitch? After fifty-seven rejections while still keeping her man, she knows she can be. "Besides, you know very well I'm determined to prove I can be a success as a lawyer, before I give up my career and settle down!"

Because, y'know, that's the choices she's got. Chaste Type-A harridan or barefoot and pregnant. Hello, Atomic Age Gender Roles! How're things with that new account you landed, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce? Ray's got nothing in his pockets but that ring and failure, so it's no wonder Jean wants to keep her options open. "I've got to make those experiments work! Jean's so high in the IQ department, she breezed through law school in two years! She'd never be satisfied with half measures! Neither will I!" Way to prioritize, Ray. The skirt's clearly wearing the pants around here.

Ray takes Jean and his class on a nature hike to Giant Caverns, and seeing as his class is collectively short and learning the difference between stalagmites and stalactites (Me too! "C"eiling or "G"round! Scientastic!) I figure he got a grade school side gig to pay Zales' back for that damned ring. Misfortune strikes in the form of a cave-in, so Ray has Jean tell the kids stories to calm them while he finds a quiet place to lose his $#*! No wait, Ray's not a lame-o, despite his stalled experiment, squirming under Jean's thumb, and having forgotten to tell anyone he was taking a busload of other people's children to hang out in a cave. Awkward... But yeah, Ray's brain is on it, and it finds a tiny ant hole of sunlight peeking into the cave. Ray figures he can use his handy lens (ring, failure, shrinking lens-- missed that earlier) to reduce himself, escape, leave the shrew and squirts to die, change his name, win a fortune on Jeopardy!, and retire to someplace with lax extradition laws.



OR... he's willing to sacrifice his own life for others, getting topside and carving out a large enough opening for the kids with his not-wedding ring. "Muscles bunched on back and arms, the Mighty Mite rips away masses of rock from the aperture..." but, "Uhh-- strange rumblings in my body... Not much time left! Got to get back to Jean and the kids and show them the way out!" Ray leaps to the ground, and runs back under his lens to regain his normal size. Wouldn't that make him smaller? That's Gardner Fox "science" for you.

Ray's shocked to find his insides not yet on the outside, and determines water impregnated with an unknown chemical had dripped on the shrinking lens, reversing its effects and keeping Jean from finding her boyfriend has taken on a resemblance to a wiener left two minutes in the microwave. How convenient. Oh, Ray's DC Comics trademark exclamation of shock? "Great stars!" It makes sense if you think about it, but still sounds like a Martian Manhunter line, though I might be biased.



"Come on, everybody-- I've found a tunnel to the outside!"
"But there isn't any tunnel, Ray! You and I once explored every part of these caves..."
"There it is, Jean! I just enlarged it, that's all!"

Man, you could have fun ad-libbing over those lines with a dirty mind. Ray's afraid Jean will "cross-examine" his hole, but she doesn't care about anything but getting out, establishing her "ends justify the means" stance on accidentally murdering friends' wives, but that won't come up until much later.

Ray gets his "special water" back to the lab, but stuff keeps blowing up. "I can come to but one conclusion-- that some mysterious force in my own body-- whatever it is, I don't know-- enabled me to regain my proper size! With further experiments I'll be able to solve this problem! Now that I am able to turn myself into a Human Atom-- who knows what strange and wonderful things might happen?"

You will, by reading this blog! Or the Atom Archive Editions. Or Showcase Presents: The Atom, which is where I'm getting this from. Do I have any true purpose in this crazy mixed up universe, or am I just peddling free story synopsises to justify not putting a bag over my head and starting the car engine in a closed garage with a gun in my mouth after mixing vodka with a fistfull of Xanax? You'll know, by reading this blog! Or one of my other ones. I've got a bunch. It keeps my hands occupied.